Adults may consider measles booster
JACKSON (WNE) — The push to get vaccinated against measles comes as Teton County and the greater region grapples with a measles outbreak in Grand Teton National Park. Public health officials say that vaccines are the best way to prevent illness, and most people who were vaccinated don’t need to worry about getting sick.
But vaccinated people born from 1963 to 1967 may be an exception, according to Teton County Public Health Director Dr. Travis Riddell.
That’s because one initial measles vaccine, released to the public in 1963, was made with a killed version of the measles virus. It was less effective than another vaccine, which used a live but severely weakened form of the measles virus. The current measles, mumps and rubella vaccine similarly uses a weakened form of the virus.
Fewer than than 1 million people in the United States got the inactivated vaccine from 1963 to 1967, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But it can be hard for people to know whether they got the less effective shot, meaning they may want to get a booster.
“In general, people who were born between 1963 and 1967, we recommend that they go ahead and get a booster,” Riddell said.
People born between 1967 and 1989 may also want to consider getting vaccinated again, Riddell said. In 1989, after a string of measles outbreaks in vaccinated schoolchildren, a key national vaccine advisory board recommended that all children receive two doses of the measles vaccine.
“That’s what really allowed the U.S. to achieve measles elimination status” by 2000, Riddell said.
Measles has now resurged, owing to increased vaccine hesitation. Cases have hit a 34-year high in 2026, just over halfway through the year.
People born before 1989 may only have received one dose of the vaccine, Riddell said. Though one dose of the measles vaccine is 93% effective against the virus, adults who are unsure if they got a second dose may want to consider getting a new shot.
This story was published on July 23, 2026.
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